Depends on your partner's salary. You might qualify for tax credits but it's based on earnings in last tax year. This might mean nil entitlement but you can then report a cchange in circumstances. If your combined income while you're on mat leave is more than £23000 or so, then don't bother.I guess you save up beforehand.

This is probably obvious but bear in mind that unless you have free childcare available, even after you return to work, you won't have the level of disposable income that you do now . Depending on your salary now (and if you choose to work fewer hours on your return), it may well not be much above the level of SMP. As a PP has said you need to look at saving now (and potentially making lifestyle changes for the long term).

I was worried that will be the case.. :/ So I guess we have to save up... Actually because of the matters money and the childcare cost it totally put me off to have a baby.However my hubby really would like to be a father one day. My mum offered she will come and do the babysitting.

I'm on my pill break to check if my cycle exists at all after 11 years. I guess I will be back on the pills in next two months...

I really think this is very unfair.It's like a punishment to those who invested in education, got jobs and want to work and have kids. So many people just lives of having kids and gets the wealth even though they never contributed to the society ... this is really sad.

Congrats to all of you who's employer pays better maternity than mine :/

However recently our Director was changed and now it's also a friend of mine I'll speak to her ... maybe she could do something about this...Change the rules for all future mums who work at our company?

The accounts directress was off twice for the full time of mat. I bet she was not getting £136 a week...

That is the statutory amount , 90% of salary for 6 weeks then 33 weeks at £136. So yes perfectly legal. You would then get Child Benefit of just over £20 pw if neither of you normally earn over £60k pa. You might qualify for other benefits but don't rely on that as this is rapidly changing. If you have other perks in your job (car, discount card etc) you keep these during ML. It is not unfair as the majority will be in the same situation and work out the economics and save up beforehand. Many people like your accounts director cope perfectly well , not just once , but maybe she has a high earning partner or savings.

Enhanced terms are normally reserved for those who hold managerial and senior positions and in certain careers like NHS where retention of good, trained staff is very important for the service. However if an employee is on enhanced terms then doesn't return after ML the extra is often repayable. I'm doubtful as to whether you will change company policy in time for you to benefit tbh, especially with the economy not yet recovering.

Statutory maternity pay is far far more generous than it used to be and is largely funded by the tax payer, so increasing it by more than a notional inflation amount is very unlikely in the near future.

As others have said, for many people, a large amount of their salary will be eaten up by childcare costs anyway if they return to work, so it would only be a case of a big drop at that stage anyway otherwise.

Maternity leave is the least of your worries... Childcare costs which can easily reach £1000 per child per month, will kick in when you return to work. Anyway, you aren't obliged to take the full maternity leave on offer... Many women return to work earlier because the money tails off quite rapidly. I would suggest you sit down with your partner and talk through the whole budgeting thing because seriously, if you're panicking about a few months off work when (like others have said) your costs are reduced anyway, with no childcare, no commute, I think you'll really struggle once all the costs of being a working parent kick in.

PeterParker. Interesting you say employers have the same rules for all staff? I have never worked anywhere where that is the case. IME, it depends on grade, like pay and pensions. Have you found differently?

It does differ amongst staff as to what perks they get. The shop floor workers may not get BUPA and a merc. No one has ever said benefits have to be the same all over a company. Sadly life is not very fair.Look at the father's rights too. The mother could take 6 weeks off first and go back and then the father might at his work have some rights too. It's a good idea anyway to get things off on an equal footing.

RedCat007 is English your second language? Some of your wording made me think so. How does UK Maternity Leave/Pay compare to your home country (if I'm right about you having another language as your native one, of course!) Is it a lot less generous than your home country?

Mos of those with a 3 and 1 year old when the baby comes even if they are at home have to be doing things at 2 weeks as most ouf cannot afford a maternity nurse nor have family around. In fact being back at work early can be the most relaxing thing in the world if you have an office job compared to scrubbing the house whilst minding a brand new baby and toddler.